Parks & Outdoor Recreation

Centennial Greenway

This phase of the Centennial Greenway, will connect Heman Park to Groby Road in University City. As part of the planning phase of the project, the designers are working with engineers from Burns & McDonnell to plan a greenway alignment through this residential area along the River des Peres. This phase of the project will be nearly 1.4 miles in length, and connect two existing City of University City parks.

This project is still in the planning phase. The design team is currently evaluating existing site conditions and estimating potential construction costs.

Dardenne Greenway At BaratHaven Park

BaratHaven Park surrounds a neighborhood with an accessible lake and three miles of trail so that residents and visitors can connect with nature in their own backyards. This 80-acre park was the first project on the Dardenne Greenway. It is the home of a 15-acre lake with three overlooks. The three miles of trail made of concrete, asphalt and limestone are connected to a new permeable parking lot and trailhead.

Stabilizing and restoring the scenic areas along Dardenne Creek and Old Dardenne Creek were a critical component to the creation of BaratHaven Park. Natural vegetation protects land adjacent to the creeks to preserve the riparian corridor for wildlife and prevent soil erosion. In addition, new wetlands have been created along the creeks to enrich the habitat for native animals and plants. In addition to protecting a rare oxbow the Park allows for a future connection to Busch Wildlife. * Project completed while working at a previous firm.

Hudlin Park Playground

Hudlin Park is located just south of Barnes Hospital and adjacent to the Central Institute for the Deaf (CID). Some of the amenities include a playground, a walking path, and seating area. It features contoured landscape with sloping hills lined with shade trees. Additional landscape surrounds the playground shielding it from the nearby highway noise, creating a colorful oasis and nourishing the children’s fascination with nature.

Special consideration was addressed during the design to allow the adjacent CID students to use the playground. Deaf students with cochlear implants usually have to choose between hearing and playing on the plastic slides, where the same static that makes children’s hairs stand on end could damage fragile processors. The new playground includes metal slides and activities on the ground level for those with limited mobility. * Project completed while working at a previous firm.

Gravois Greenway

The designers at DG2 Design are leading the team helping Great Rivers Greenway plan the extension of Grant’s Trail, the Gravois Greenway. The Gravois Creek Greenway currently meanders through six municipalities and connects several parks, schools, neighborhoods, libraries, historic sites and athletic facilities. Grant’s Trail – the centerpiece of the greenway – is a popular paved trail that that extends from a trailhead in Kirkwood to Orlando’s. With more than 560,000 people using the greenway each year, the extension to connect to the River des Peres Greenway is a high priority connection in the River Ring. The project will extend the existing eight miles of Grant’s Trail from Orlando’s to the River des Peres Greenway along the I-55 right-of-way.

This connection will include two bridges and an underpass for an estimated cost of $10.2 million. The team is helping apply for grants and private donations to assist in funding the project. The project has already been approved for $2.6 million in Transportation Alternative Program funding from East West Gateway and a $1 million private grant from the Mysun Foundation. Construction is currently anticipated to begin in Spring 2017.

Fogerty Park Master Plan

DG2 Design worked with the City of University City, MO to design the Fogerty Park masterplan. The designers worked with the City staff and citizens to determine priorities and goals for the 11 acre urban site which connects to an adjacent elementary school. A series of public workshops and presentations were facilitated to select a final concept to move forward with. The primary goal was to restore the surrounding neighbors connection with nature. Major park amenities will include 2 new pavilions, new restroom building, improved sports fields and paths, splash pad, native landscape, and a fully re-designed playground area. After completing the cost estimates and phasing plan DG2 Design assisted the City with grant applications for phase one. The project was approved for a municipal park grant to help fund the $1.9M phase one. DG2 Design is currently working on the construction documents for phase one. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2016.

River Des Peres Greenway

The landscape architects partnered with the civil engineers at Burns & McDonnell to complete this 5 miles section of the greenway. A conceptual plan was developed for a linear park along the River Des Peres between Gravois and Lansdowne. The plan calls for revitalizing the existing trail, safely connecting the trail to the Metrolink Station, bringing users closer to the river, educating the users on the history of the river, enhancing the river and adjacent ecosystems and reducing the carbon footprint of the greenway by introducing native landscape.

The two phases of the greenway were constructed in 2012 and 2017 to ensure the pedestrian safety and accessibility to everyone, whether the users are roller bladders, hand cyclists or parents with children in strollers.